Conquistador Torpedo Review

[Zippy The Pinhead]

Conquistador Torpedo Review

Length: 5"
Ring gauge: 60-ish
Wrapper, binder, filler: all Mexican-grown, Cuban seed

I've had a bundle of these cigars aging since 9/98. I've been smoking them every now and then... I'm down to about five or six remaining.

These cigars are made by Rudy Rawman, of La Villa del Tabaco, Tijuana, Mexico, fame. Rawman also has a factory & tobacco fields in San Andres Tuxtla, Veracruz, Mexico, which is where this cigar was made.

The price for this cigar is around U$D 4.00 each, or $100 for a bundle, bought at Rawman's store in Tijuana, which is located near Revolucion & Third. You can mail order cigars from him, but it is almost easier to just drive down to TJ and get them in the store. Conquistadors and Rawman's other lines-- Rudy Vintage & Flor Regia-- are my favorite non-Cuban cigars, and the best substitute for Cubans I have found. When his cigars get three to four years of age on them, or more, they become unbelievably delicious and tasty.

Conquistadors have what I would describe as a BIG flavor profile. When freshly rolled, the flavor contains a strong vegetal/herbal note. As they age, this note disappears, and is replaced by a rich, strong, deep tobacco taste. There is often a note of sweetness which can be tasted, as well, which is contrasted by a much stronger spicy, peppery note. I wish I could describe the flavor better, but I don't know what else to say. I can tell you that these cigars offer a rich, mouth-coating smoke which rivals some Havanas I've enjoyed. They can be smoked down to the nub, just like my favorite Havanas. In terms of fullness, I can't recall any non-Havana I've ever tried which could be fairly described as being more full-bodied than these Conquistadors. They are about as full-bodied as one can get, in my opinion. I have smoked Havanas which I would describe as having a fuller body-- for example, I have a couple Punch Royal Selection No. 12s left which I have had aging since 1996, and those seem to have a little more body than the Conquistadors, though the flavor profile is somewhat different-- but I can't buy those Havanas for $4 per stick, either.

The one I smoked tonight was accompanied by some Spanish Solera, made by Alvear. This is a type of wine, made from the juice of Pedro Ximenez grapes, which has an intense, sweet, raisiny flavor. It complements the flavor of cigars quite well, especially strong, full-bodied ones like well-aged Conquistadors.

I don't feel competent enough to give numerical scores to cigars, but here's my summary of the important things to remember about these Conquistadors:

* Construction: superb. Rawman's cigars are always very firm to the touch, but rarely-- if ever-- plugged or hard to draw on.

* Burn: very even. No relighting was required.

* Ash: dense and white. Breaks in a cone shape.

* Smoke: oodles and oodles. Voluminous.

* Full-bodied: this cigar's picture appears in the dictionary under "full-bodied."

Rawman has other sizes in his lineup. A bundle of robustos is around U$D 70.